If you need to digitize documents and photos while you're out of the office on company business, the hand-operated Magic Wand Portable Scanner accommodates documents and photos of up to 8.27 inches wide, and produces color scans of JPG or PDF files. At 6.9 oz. with batteries installed and 10.1 inches long by about an inch thick, it's small enough to carry in your briefcase or purse. The unit supports Windows and Mac OS X without having to install drivers, and can scan a letter-sized sheet in three to 12 seconds, depending on the resolution you choose.

1. Install two AA alkaline batteries. The battery door slides down the bottom half of the long dimension of the unit from below the Power/Scan key. VuPoint includes the batteries with the unit.

2. Press and hold the "Power/Scan" key for two seconds to turn on the scanner. Insert a microSD card into the slot on the side of the scanner above the recessed Format button. Slide the card in metal side up. The card latches when you hear it click in position.

3. Format the memory card if you haven't used it before or want to erase previous scans. Use the tip of a pencil or the end of a paper clip to depress the "Format" button until the scanner's status display reads "F." Press the "Power/Scan" key above the battery door to start the formatting process. When the SC card indicator in the LCD display stops blinking, your card is ready to use.

4. Set the date and time so your scanned files will show proper time stamps. Press the "Time Set" button on the side of the unit, immediately above the USB port, with a pencil tip or paper clip. Use the "JPG/PDF" button next to the Resolution button to select the year, month, date, hour and minute in sequence. Use the "Power/Scan" key to confirm each entry. When you finish setting the time, press the "Time Set" button again.

5. Press the "Resolution" button at the top of the unit to cycle among the scanner's three options, which display on the LCD screen, and choose a resolution. High corresponds to 900 pixels per inch, Medium to 600 and Low to 300.

6. Place your document on a hard, flat surface. Set the scanner at the top edge of the sheet with the LCD screen face up. Position the long dimension of the unit between three-fourths and five-eighths of an inch from the edge of the paper, with the portion of the sheet you want to scan located between the width markers on the scanner.

7. Put one hand on the document so you can hold it in place. Press the "Power/Scan" key to start the scan. Slide the scanner slowly and evenly down the page with the unit held flat against the paper. When you reach the opposite end of the sheet, press the "Power/Scan" key again to stop scanning.

8. Plug the supplied USB cable into the port on the side of the scanner with the USB logo on the connector facing up. Connect the other end of the cable to an unused USB port on your computer. The microSD card shows up as a removable disk, just as if you had plugged in a flash drive. To copy scans to your hard drive or view them off the memory card, click on the "Open Folder to View Files" option on your screen.

Things Needed

MicroSD card

Tips

The Magic Wand Portable Scanner accepts microSD cards up to 32GB in capacity. The scanner ships without a card.

Calibrate the scanner if it displays the message "ERR. LED" on the LCD screen. Clean the sensor before you calibrate the unit. Refer to the manual for calibration instructions.

The scanner shuts itself off in three minutes after you stop using it.

Store the unit in its supplied pouch to protect the sensor from dirt and dust.

The Optical Character Recognition software supplied with the Magic Wand Portable Scanner for converting scanned files to text runs only in Windows.

Warning

Scan quality depends on how evenly and smoothly you move the scanner down the page. If your hand jerks, your scan becomes distorted.

About the Author

Elizabeth Mott has been a writer since 1983. Mott has extensive experience writing advertising copy for everything from kitchen appliances and financial services to education and tourism. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in English from Indiana State University.